17 Books Like Tyrant

I like tours-de-force. I like when authors pull out all the stops to write something mind-boggling. The Quincunx is a tour-de-force of Victoriana. Time and again, I thought I was reading Charles Dickens. Palliser's literary style is so accurate, I could not detect a single anachronism. And I also love the recreation of past cultures. I found this book to be a field guide to the lifestyles of the 19th-century

I have always been fascinated by how the Bronze Age became the Iron Age. SBJ answers the question in fiction. Beginning in Hallstatt, the Alpine birthplace of iron-forging, SBJ traces the odyssey of a smith, learning the trade, seeing the world, seeking his forbears. I love books that teach me something. Packed with information on ancient smithing, mining, sailing, prehistoric geography, military tactics, adventure and more, SBJ introduced me to an ancient world of legend and archaeology, before actual history set in. I was surprised and pleased to see how the smith-hero eventually winds up in the legendary Theban Wars, still seeking his birthright. I particularly like how Douglas brings realism to legendary worlds, as he does in his recreation of the Theban Wars.

A wonderful retelling of the story of the great warrior Achilles and his partner Patroclus and the siege of Troy by Greek armies to rescue the famously beautiful Helen. Told from the point of view of Patroclus, a prince who is banished by his father after inadvertently killing another young boy and sent to live under the guardianship of Achilles' father. In the original version of this story, Patroclus and Achilles are the best of friends. In the version crafted by Madeline Miller, the relationship between them becomes romantic. After an idyllic time spent in the mountains under the kind and knowledgeable tutelage of a centaur named Chiron, fate leads them both to the battlefield outside the impenetrable gate of Troy. Another departure from the original story is that a physical vulnerability that can be exploited is not featured. The Achilles Heel in Miller's novel is not a body part,… show more.

This book is about that intrepid city state in ancient Greece, the legendary Spartans, and of course the Gates of Fire are the passes at Thermopylae where King Leonidas and his 300 were joined by other Greek contingents to face down, and stop, the mighty Persian Armies invading Greece.
Following a group of key characters, Pressfield takes us deep into the Spartan culture to see what created such fierce and dependable warriors. Boys were trained from an early age to become men of steel, and on any field where a contingent of Spartan soldiers stood, their enemies quailed.
The book presents two battles in gritty detail to show how the Spartans fought, and most often won their wars. Their military prowess and incredible bravery foil Xeres until a traitor reveals a hidden mountain pass the immortals can use to bypass them. I have read no other account of Thermopylae that… show more.

The book starts off with the hero, Arimnestos of Platea, as the son of a farmer and ends with him, a cold-blooded and rational killer of men, proven in battle and with a terrible revenge yet to be taken. On one level, I found it to be a strong story taken from Greek history at the time of the Persian invasion, but I also marveled at the strength of Cameron’s characterization, his deeply detailed descriptions of war and battles, and most of all the undeniable fact that his re-enactment interest means that he knows just what it’s like to fight to the point of exhaustion in bronze armor or in a Greek phalanx.

By the end of this book, there was no choice. I was straight into the next, and this series is perhaps the strongest I’ve ever read on war in the ancient world, taking in Marathon, the naval… show more.

O’Brien performed some sort of alchemy in turning a previously dry and underpopulated section of the historical fiction genre into literary gold, at once gripping and supremely well-written. One follows the adventures of a Royal Navy Commander and his Irish doctor friend–a man with a secret life–through the war at sea in the Napoleonic era, and I found the balance between naval exploits–Jack Aubrey being a swashbuckler of renown–and period history made for fascinating counter-points.

Over and above that, I loved the way O’Brien built an ensemble cast and proceeded to draw the reader into their lives, making the death of any one of them a personal loss. I know that I benefitted from learning this writing trick and used it myself in my Empire series, and I know at least one other Roman author who did much the same. Wonderful stories that kept me coming back, and this is… show more.

Probably the first “modern” medieval adventure novel, a young Doyle published this in 1891, shortly after he had begun his more famous Sherlock Holmes stories. Also set in the Hundred Years War, it follows a band of mercenaries fighting for the Edward the Black Prince against the French.

It’s mild by today’s standards but a rousing adventure nonetheless, and I first read it at the age of 14. It has all the ingredients of old-fashioned epic adventure: precarious battles, friendship, valiant deeds, humor, and a bit of romance. Check it out and see what your grandfather would have read as a boy on a rainy afternoon.

Margaret George is a preeminent writer of historical fiction—big, authoritative novels focusing on remarkable, famous people, as her 2006 Helen of Troy demonstrates. She covers Helen’s life from girlhood through the Trojan War and back to Sparta. She builds a full depiction of ancient Greek life, which always makes me happy, but George is most compelling with her characters. George’s interpretations often break with tradition, and that is true for Helen and Paris. Helen disdains her extraordinary beauty and must grow into visionary insights and outsized passions with guidance from the gods. If you want a genuinely heroic Paris (not his usual wimpiness) and a couple who cleave to each other to the end, this is the Helen book for you. George’s skill holds your attention through it all.

Carosella offers another, refreshing take on Helen. This Helen takes control of her life and tries to defy fate (and the gods do their darndest, as usual in Greek mythology, to make her and everyone else miserable). Carosella’s engaging novel develops the characters’ jealousies, passions, and loyalties, as well as bringing the reader directly into the ancient Greek world. I enjoyed the sense of interconnectedness between different parts of this Greek and Mediterranean world, Troy, Sparta, Egypt, Mycenae, and Athens. This accurately reflects the current understanding of this exotic world. I appreciate a flexible view of all the legendary mythology surrounding this iconic war, and Carosella has flexed some impressive muscle.

If a racially diverse, gender-bending, often raunchy, always nuanced, new take on an old tale sounds like a good read to you, then pick up this “novel-in-parts.” Both the racial and sexual fullness reflect historical reality, although they’ve ordinarily been left out. Retelling the Trojan War from its early causes to its tragic but still hope-infused end, the authors gave this rendition a compelling depth that will make you savor the old tradition with some new spice on your tongue.